Lydia Greenway announced her retirement from international cricket in June 2016 after a 13-year career for England in which she played in 14 Tests, 126 ODIs and 85 T20Is. Batting mostly in the middle order, she scored 362 Test runs at an average of 15.73, 2554 ODI runs at 30.04, including one hundred and 12 fifties, and 1192 T20 runs at a strike rate of 96.12. She was also rated by many as the best fielder in women's cricket, known for pulling off spectacular catches in the deep.

Touted as the best batting prospect since Charlotte Edwards, left-hander Greenway made her full England debut in February 2003 against Australia in the Ashes Series at The Gabba, Brisbane. A late call-up to the squad, Greenway had just returned to England from a successful tour of Australia with England Under-19s where she had averaged 42, before turning around to join the seniors. Batting at No. 5, she immediately lived up to expectations, as she struck 88 in a warm-up match on her senior debut against Australia A. Although she scored just 37 in her next four innings, the selectors kept faith and she was selected for the Test series against South Africa in August 2003.

Greenway was to repay that trust in spades as, in the first Test of the series, she and Claire Taylor smashed the world record for a fourth-wicket stand, amassing 203 - Greenway struck 70 and Taylor finished on 177. Greenway followed this up with 66 in the next Test.

Dropped for the 2006 season, she fought her way back into the side the following year and went on to feature in England's double-World Cup winning team in 2009. She was named Player of the Match for her fluent half-century in England's win over Australia in a one-day international at Perth in January 2010, and Player of the Series in England's 4-1 win in the subsequent Twenty20 series.

Becoming a mainstay of England's middle-order, she was part of four women's Ashes-winning teams, playing a key role in securing the 2013 trophy with a match-winning 64-ball 80 in the second T20 at the Rose Bowl. Her last international half-century came in July 2015, when she hit 53 in the first ODI of the Ashes series, giving first blood to England. However, their loss in the series was largely blamed on a poor performance with the bat, and - despite being her side's top-scorer in that Ashes series - Greenway became a casualty of coach Mark Robinson's new regime, choosing to retire after being told that she would not be selected for the forthcoming series against Pakistan.

She continues to play for Kent and for Southern Vipers in the Kia Super League. Raf Nicholson